There were plenty of parties, parades and pink feather boas on display this weekend as cities across the country hosted gay pride events, but organizers weren't just interested in a celebration: They were ready for a battle.

In New York City's landmark gay pride parade Sunday, the LGBTQ community came out in full force bearing signs that listed all the injustices they're confronting, from discrimination in schools to gun violence.

In Cincinnati, an openly gay pastor joined an event led by Black Lives Matter protesters who returned the favor by attending the city's Gay Pride Parade.

In downtown Minneapolis, demonstrators protesting the police shooting of Philando Castile disrupted the Twin Cities Pride Parade just just minutes after it began. About 200 protesters marched down Hennepin Avenue and staged a "die-in."

Protesters chanted, “No justice, no peace, no pride in police,” and carried “Justice for Philando” and “Black Lives Matter" signs. There were no arrests.

Parade organizers had invited police to participate after initially asking them to minimize their participation due to tensions over a jury’s recent acquittal of a Minnesota officer who fatally shot Castile during a traffic stop last year.
But Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, who is the city’s first openly gay police chief, called that decision “divisive.”

People ride motorcycles down 5th Ave. in the annual New York Gay Pride Parade, one of the oldest and largest in the world on June 25, 2017, in New York City. Thousands cheered as members of LGBT community danced and marched under a bright summer sun. Spencer Platt, Getty Images

People dressed in white to represent the 49 people killed at the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016, walk together during the annual New York LGBT Pride March in New York. Justin Lane, European Pressphoto Agency

A man holds up a sign near the Capitol as LGBT members and their supporters take part of the Equality March for Unity & Pride parade in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2017. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/Getty Images

Members of the LGBT community and their supporters participate in the Los Angeles Gay Pride Resist March, on June 11, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif. The Resist March is being held in conjunction with the LGBT Equality March for Unity & Pride parade in Washington, D.C. Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

A rainbow flag is placed on the Marquis de Lafayette Statue as LGBT members and their supporters protest outside the White House during the Equality March for Unity & Pride parade in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2017. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/Getty Images

Gil Mendez of San Francisco holds a sign to honor the victims of the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla., as he marches during the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington on June 11, 2017. Carolyn Kaster, AP

"Sister Sera Nade" with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus sings on the National Mall with the Capitol in the background during the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington on June 11, 2017. Carolyn Kaster, AP

San Diego, Calf., City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez gives the thumbs up and wears a Harvey Milk pin and a Queen Mother pin during the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington on June 11, 2017. Carolyn Kaster, AP

Demonstrators take selfies near The Washington Monument during the Equality March for Unity and Peace on June 11, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Thousands around the country participated in marches for the LGBTQ communities, the central march taking place in Washington. Zach Gibson, Getty Images

In San Francisco, marchers took aim at President Trump's policies, especially his efforts to ramp up deportations against the state's undocumented immigrants.

"(The parade) has more meaning than it ever had just because (Trump) is someone who wants to shut it down," said Talia Rizzo, who watched the parade while cuddling with her girlfriend. "I feel like everyone wants to rise above and have more pride than they've ever had."

The theme of resistance was crystallized in anti-Trump/Pence chants, specifically on the issue of immigration. The crowd chanted, "No ban, no wall, the Trump regime has to fall!"

"Trump represents separation — Pride is about bringing people together," said Mario Lopez, 39, who lives in Arizona but is originally from Mexico. He added that if groups are being targeted, it's everyone's job to speak up.

Under Trump, he said, anti-immigration rhetoric has become normalized and people feel more empowered to target immigrants. But seeing the anti-Trump, pro immigration chants and signs helps, he said. "It feels better that people are speaking their minds about it and bringing it out because most people just tend to ignore it."

Gay pride events have evolved over the years from small, hidden gatherings to citywide festivals that are taking on a growing list of problems facing their community and other minority groups.

In New York City, that was seen in the laundry list of issues championed by each passing group of marchers. One group walked with a "Gays Against Guns" banner. Another group carried signs that read "Resist" with different challenges written underneath, including profiling of transgender people.

One group of marchers dressed all in white and carried placards bearing an image and biography of victims killed in the 2016 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Police arrested several marchers who blocked the parade route, protesting New York City police practices.

In Cincinnati, the Rev. David Meredith, the openly gay pastor of Clifton United Methodist Church, joined Black Lives Matter on Friday to protest the second mistrial of former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing. He had been charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of unarmed black motorist Sam DuBose during a July 2015 traffic stop.

On Saturday, BLM members showed their appreciation by joining Meredith at the city's gay pride parade.

"My faith compels me to care about everyone who is marginalized and everyone who is left at the side of the road," Meredith said.

In other pockets of the country, the events were more straight-forward with members of the LGBTQ community celebrating how far their movement has come in historically antagonistic places.

Nancy VanReece, the first openly gay woman elected to public office in Nashville when she joined the city's Metro Council, delivered a speech before the Nashville Pride Festival where she marveled at how much the event had grown. What used to be a small smattering of people in a hidden corner of Centennial Park has now grown to a massive parade including major corporations and government institutions.

"It was pretty amazing. We were unable to attend until probably 10 years later," VanReece said. "But the fact it was there was amazing confirmation that no matter how alone you may feel in any circumstance, there are other people around who can benefit from your work."